Nely Cab's Blog - Posts Tagged "nely-cab"
Checking Off Item Number Two
I was about ten years old when I told my mother I wanted to write. She persuaded me to write a story she often told me and to illustrate it, as well. I set my number two pencil to paper, took out my crayons and got to work.
My mother's story was quite unorthodox and had a tragic ending, but it managed to keep me away from the stove:
The main characters were a female ant and a male mouse who were married and lived in the hollow base of a tree. The ant went to the market one day and left her husband, the mouse, to watch over their dinner -- baked beans. The grey mouse, craving a taste of the beans in the pot, lifted the lid, fell in and died. Yes, I am sad to say that cute little rodent was boiled to death.
When I was done writing my childhood "magnum opus", or so I thought, I acquired the address to a well-known children's publisher from the interior of one of their storybooks. Neither I nor my mother knew that it was a must to be represented by an agent for an acclaimed publishing company to consider your work. I mailed it.
Several weeks later, my manuscript appeared in our mailbox along with a letter stating that the publisher would not consider un-agented manuscripts. I was thoroughly disappointed, to say the least.
That day, as I re-read the publisher's letter, I made a mental note: Write and publish a story before I die. That was item number two on my bucket list. Item number one was scratched off my list later that summer when I visited Disneyland for the very first time.
I don't remember being an avid reader as a child. I would fall asleep with books opened somewhere between pages five and ten. At my elementary school, we were bribed with free pizza certificates for entering book reading challenges. I chose the 20 page easy readers which took me about a week to read through. I must say, I got a lot of sleep during elementary and free pizza every six weeks.
When I was a teenager I was reminded about writing again. My eighth-grade English teacher assigned the class a descriptive paragraph due midway through class. We were to read it aloud to everyone and search for reactions.
My paragraph illustrated a walk through fresh, grey, humid mud. I described how the smooth, dense substance seeped up between my toes and over the top of my feet. I received an "Ewww" from my classmates and an "A" from the teacher. I got an "A" in the class for the six-week grading period in which we touched on imagery. I never again wrote.
In high school, I wasn't much of a writer or a reader, but I joined the Business Professionals of America and competed only once in proofreading and editing and word processing competitions. I won in proofreading and editing and was state alternate for word processing. Back then, I knew how to punctuate correctly and how to skip class without being caught.
After high school, I studied computer accounting. I worked at a bank for several years until I married and moved to Monterrey, Mexico. There, I took up culinary and art classes. After five years of residing in Monterrey, we moved back to the U.S., and I went back to work.
Two and a half years later, I resigned from my job, and I became a housewife again. It was great for the first three months, until I ran out of rooms to redecorate and crafts to create.
During the morning, I would sit and drink my coffee for about two hours trying to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my day. I couldn't think of anywhere to go or anything do by myself in the small city in which I live that didn't involve eating. This is when I began to read and loved it. I was 33. Shame on me.
One day, my sister -- a conceited seventeen year-old high school senior, at the time -- pressured me into buying a movie and reading the book. She noted that the book was far better than the movie. Aren't they always?
I read the four-book series in a week. I don't remember feeding my husband or my son in the process, but somehow they survived. I was so consumed in the easy read, that I shut down the world around me for seven days. Then, it dawned on me; if this author could write so simply and still hold the readers' attention, who was to say I couldn't do the same?
I sat in front of my computer for the next two days and wrote about ten pages, before I handed it to my sister to read. When she was done, she turned, looked at me and asked, "And then what happened?" That was a good question. I didn't know. I said, "Nothing. I just wanted to see what you thought of it." She said, "It's good. Finish it. I wanna know what happens next." Her words ignited a spark.
Everyday, for months, my sister pestered me about giving her new pages to read. I sat in front of my computer for a year, working on the story for her. Every other day, I would give her more material to read and criticize. When I was finished writing, the short story I had meant to write had turned into a novel. Being the bossy little punk she is, my sister started to pressure me to find a way to publish the book.
*I should note that I thank my sister for being so pushy and demanding. Had it not been for her enthusiasm, I would have never had the inspiration to continue writing. In her, I found my prime moral support and the best muse the literary gods could have sent me.
I had heard from a couple of friends about how they had each decided to self-publish. I thought about it long and hard for about five months. I knew that once I self-published my chances of being accepted as client by a literary agent would be near impossible. Then there was the ten year-old girl in me, eagerly anticipating what she had promised. How could I say no to her?
Convinced that it was now or never, I started searching for details on the pros and cons of publishing on my own. I must admit, I was scared.
The price for self-publishing is not cheap. I came across companies that charged thousands of dollars, and that caused a state of dejection in me.
While reviewing my email one day, I read an advertisement for a publishing company that knocked almost half the price off of their publishing packages and offered distribution to chain bookstores and the massive ebook market. Wide-eyed, I bought the package.
Item number two has proven to be one of the most challenging and time consuming life goals of which a ten year-old could have thought. Nonetheless, I'm happy to be entering into this new venture.
As for the rest of my to do list, I'm going to empty that bucket if it takes the rest of my life.
Nely Cab
My mother's story was quite unorthodox and had a tragic ending, but it managed to keep me away from the stove:
The main characters were a female ant and a male mouse who were married and lived in the hollow base of a tree. The ant went to the market one day and left her husband, the mouse, to watch over their dinner -- baked beans. The grey mouse, craving a taste of the beans in the pot, lifted the lid, fell in and died. Yes, I am sad to say that cute little rodent was boiled to death.
When I was done writing my childhood "magnum opus", or so I thought, I acquired the address to a well-known children's publisher from the interior of one of their storybooks. Neither I nor my mother knew that it was a must to be represented by an agent for an acclaimed publishing company to consider your work. I mailed it.
Several weeks later, my manuscript appeared in our mailbox along with a letter stating that the publisher would not consider un-agented manuscripts. I was thoroughly disappointed, to say the least.
That day, as I re-read the publisher's letter, I made a mental note: Write and publish a story before I die. That was item number two on my bucket list. Item number one was scratched off my list later that summer when I visited Disneyland for the very first time.
I don't remember being an avid reader as a child. I would fall asleep with books opened somewhere between pages five and ten. At my elementary school, we were bribed with free pizza certificates for entering book reading challenges. I chose the 20 page easy readers which took me about a week to read through. I must say, I got a lot of sleep during elementary and free pizza every six weeks.
When I was a teenager I was reminded about writing again. My eighth-grade English teacher assigned the class a descriptive paragraph due midway through class. We were to read it aloud to everyone and search for reactions.
My paragraph illustrated a walk through fresh, grey, humid mud. I described how the smooth, dense substance seeped up between my toes and over the top of my feet. I received an "Ewww" from my classmates and an "A" from the teacher. I got an "A" in the class for the six-week grading period in which we touched on imagery. I never again wrote.
In high school, I wasn't much of a writer or a reader, but I joined the Business Professionals of America and competed only once in proofreading and editing and word processing competitions. I won in proofreading and editing and was state alternate for word processing. Back then, I knew how to punctuate correctly and how to skip class without being caught.
After high school, I studied computer accounting. I worked at a bank for several years until I married and moved to Monterrey, Mexico. There, I took up culinary and art classes. After five years of residing in Monterrey, we moved back to the U.S., and I went back to work.
Two and a half years later, I resigned from my job, and I became a housewife again. It was great for the first three months, until I ran out of rooms to redecorate and crafts to create.
During the morning, I would sit and drink my coffee for about two hours trying to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my day. I couldn't think of anywhere to go or anything do by myself in the small city in which I live that didn't involve eating. This is when I began to read and loved it. I was 33. Shame on me.
One day, my sister -- a conceited seventeen year-old high school senior, at the time -- pressured me into buying a movie and reading the book. She noted that the book was far better than the movie. Aren't they always?
I read the four-book series in a week. I don't remember feeding my husband or my son in the process, but somehow they survived. I was so consumed in the easy read, that I shut down the world around me for seven days. Then, it dawned on me; if this author could write so simply and still hold the readers' attention, who was to say I couldn't do the same?
I sat in front of my computer for the next two days and wrote about ten pages, before I handed it to my sister to read. When she was done, she turned, looked at me and asked, "And then what happened?" That was a good question. I didn't know. I said, "Nothing. I just wanted to see what you thought of it." She said, "It's good. Finish it. I wanna know what happens next." Her words ignited a spark.
Everyday, for months, my sister pestered me about giving her new pages to read. I sat in front of my computer for a year, working on the story for her. Every other day, I would give her more material to read and criticize. When I was finished writing, the short story I had meant to write had turned into a novel. Being the bossy little punk she is, my sister started to pressure me to find a way to publish the book.
*I should note that I thank my sister for being so pushy and demanding. Had it not been for her enthusiasm, I would have never had the inspiration to continue writing. In her, I found my prime moral support and the best muse the literary gods could have sent me.
I had heard from a couple of friends about how they had each decided to self-publish. I thought about it long and hard for about five months. I knew that once I self-published my chances of being accepted as client by a literary agent would be near impossible. Then there was the ten year-old girl in me, eagerly anticipating what she had promised. How could I say no to her?
Convinced that it was now or never, I started searching for details on the pros and cons of publishing on my own. I must admit, I was scared.
The price for self-publishing is not cheap. I came across companies that charged thousands of dollars, and that caused a state of dejection in me.
While reviewing my email one day, I read an advertisement for a publishing company that knocked almost half the price off of their publishing packages and offered distribution to chain bookstores and the massive ebook market. Wide-eyed, I bought the package.
Item number two has proven to be one of the most challenging and time consuming life goals of which a ten year-old could have thought. Nonetheless, I'm happy to be entering into this new venture.
As for the rest of my to do list, I'm going to empty that bucket if it takes the rest of my life.
Nely Cab
The Soirée is on the Way
The cake's been ordered, the place reserved. It's roughly two weeks until the official release party for "Creatura". Invitations have been mailed and some will be hand delivered. In all honesty, party planning is something I very much enjoy. However, this one takes precedence over the rest of the parties I've ever had to coordinate. It's absolutely nerve wracking!
I'm a planner - not a party planner, but a planner in general. Often, I tend to think of every detail that would please me if I were an attendee. That's not so bad is it? Okay, yes it is! Call me obsessive or compulsive...or both. I'm a female, for goodness sake!
The release party will be held in the City of Los Fresnos, Texas, also the setting of my book. Why Los Fresnos? Because at the age of 13, I moved there and hated it, BUT then something extraordinary happened - I fell in love. Not with a guy, with the town! It's small, it's friendly, it's simple. Yes, it may only have a population of 4, 512, but it's home, and home is where the heart is. I consider it my hometown even though I didn't move there until my teenybopper years.
Everyone says, "write what you know", but I wrote what I imagined. My imagination ran amok in that town and the surrounding areas as I wrote "Creatura". That's where David Chios came to life in The Ebony Estate (AKA Casa Los Ebanos at Los Ebanos Preserve). It's where Isis Martin attended Los Fresnos High School, and where Claire Martin, Isis' mother, worked for the County, as a paralegal in the courthouse. It's where Krystle, Sheila and Patrick - Isis' friends- graduated high school, before Isis. My characters have a life in Los Fresnos! They're very real to me. Holding the book launch within my town was the only feasible choice.
*I should mention that Krystle, Sheila and Patrick are real people and not just cameo characters in the book:
Krystle - my sister
Sheila - my sister's BFF
Patrick - my sister's BF
**They will be making an appearance at the launch. Who knows, maybe they'll be asked for their autographs.
So, what am I doing to prepare? I'm hot gluing my fingers to the bone - making centerpieces and detailing the event. I'm thinking of a speech and a paradigm. I'm thinking of great treats to serve and of how to set up the room. Plan, plan, plan! Yes, I am obsessive, but if I didn't obsess, how would I have ever detailed all those character personalities in "Creatura"?
Anyhow, I do believe I'm due for a well-deserved break. I'm off to relax with a good book that I'm eager to finish, and then I'll nestle myself into bed, where Morpheus, with a grin, will lure me away. Therefore, I must bid you adieu. I have a long day tomorrow: appointments, post office, burned fingers and crossing off other items on my "to do" list. Wish me luck!
Nely Cab
I'm a planner - not a party planner, but a planner in general. Often, I tend to think of every detail that would please me if I were an attendee. That's not so bad is it? Okay, yes it is! Call me obsessive or compulsive...or both. I'm a female, for goodness sake!
The release party will be held in the City of Los Fresnos, Texas, also the setting of my book. Why Los Fresnos? Because at the age of 13, I moved there and hated it, BUT then something extraordinary happened - I fell in love. Not with a guy, with the town! It's small, it's friendly, it's simple. Yes, it may only have a population of 4, 512, but it's home, and home is where the heart is. I consider it my hometown even though I didn't move there until my teenybopper years.
Everyone says, "write what you know", but I wrote what I imagined. My imagination ran amok in that town and the surrounding areas as I wrote "Creatura". That's where David Chios came to life in The Ebony Estate (AKA Casa Los Ebanos at Los Ebanos Preserve). It's where Isis Martin attended Los Fresnos High School, and where Claire Martin, Isis' mother, worked for the County, as a paralegal in the courthouse. It's where Krystle, Sheila and Patrick - Isis' friends- graduated high school, before Isis. My characters have a life in Los Fresnos! They're very real to me. Holding the book launch within my town was the only feasible choice.
*I should mention that Krystle, Sheila and Patrick are real people and not just cameo characters in the book:
Krystle - my sister
Sheila - my sister's BFF
Patrick - my sister's BF
**They will be making an appearance at the launch. Who knows, maybe they'll be asked for their autographs.
So, what am I doing to prepare? I'm hot gluing my fingers to the bone - making centerpieces and detailing the event. I'm thinking of a speech and a paradigm. I'm thinking of great treats to serve and of how to set up the room. Plan, plan, plan! Yes, I am obsessive, but if I didn't obsess, how would I have ever detailed all those character personalities in "Creatura"?
Anyhow, I do believe I'm due for a well-deserved break. I'm off to relax with a good book that I'm eager to finish, and then I'll nestle myself into bed, where Morpheus, with a grin, will lure me away. Therefore, I must bid you adieu. I have a long day tomorrow: appointments, post office, burned fingers and crossing off other items on my "to do" list. Wish me luck!
Nely Cab
Book Launch: T-minus 24 hours
Tomorrow is the big day for the Creatura Book Launch Party, and I'm very excited and nervous. I'm trying to write out a schedule to see when it is that I'm going to have time for myself to get ready, but I haven't quite figured it out. There's so much I have to do starting from noon and on. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Today, I received a call from the owners of the Los Ebanos Preserve and Casa Los Ebanos. This is the residence that I used as the setting for the hero's (David's) home. I'm so happy that they'll be attending. Casa Los Ebanos used to be their home until a few years ago. The historical southern style home is now available to book for weddings and parties of the sort. I would've loved to have the launch there, but I had to consider the costs to be incurred. *sigh* Maybe next time.
Something that has been creating a little humor in my mind today is that I don't consider this my party, but the book's party. Isn't that strange? It's like the novel isn't an inanimate object, but more of a personality. I suppose books do have personalities if you stop to think about it: Romantic, adventurous, horrifying, witty, humorous... etc. In a way, they're much like people. I believe that's why we can easily fall in love or easily dislike them.
Did you know that the author has to go through personality changes as she writes? I mean, how else would she write so many lines that only that certain character would say? It's very impressive to me how books have to dominate a personality that isn't really the writer's.
Anyhow, I'm supposed to be making dinner for my in-laws that are coming in from out of town to attend the shindig, and I'm typing my little fingers away instead. lol! Oh, and one more thing before I go: the oddest thing I have ever needed for a party is sandpaper. I have yet to acquire some. I'll tell you guys about it later.
Toodles, beautiful creatures!
Nely Cab
Book Launch PIcs link
Go here to view a few pics from the book launch:
http://nelycab.blogspot.com/
http://nelycab.blogspot.com/
"Creatura" goes to High School!
A few weeks ago I was completely taken by surprise when I was asked by www.readforyourfuture.org to donate a couple of copies of "Creatura" to the Middletown High School library in Middletown, Ohio. That brought me such enthusiasm that I think I practically jumped. The thought of how many students will get to read the novel puts a smile on my face every time.
*GO MIDDIES!*
Then something equally as exciting happened:
I was contacted by an English teacher at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas, to be a guest in her five English classes. Immediately and without hesitation, I agreed. I was so excited to receive the invitation and flattered that a high school teacher would even consider "Creatura" in the classroom.
I offered the first chapter of the novel to the teacher by email and posted it on my website for easier accessibility to the students ... and to the rest of the world, of course. Some of them have already purchased the book through Amazon.com (it's also available through other online retailers)
*If you're a goodreads member you'll find Chapter 1 under the "read excerpt" tab of the novel.
A fair amount of students from Lopez High School have befriended me on Facebook, and after chatting with them, I've found they are just as excited as I am to be able to meet in person. It seems the first chapter has had a good reception by the majority. Let's see how the rest of the book is liked. I supposed I'll find out next week when they've had a chance to read further. Until then, I'll be looking forward to August 31st with eager and excited anticipation. I can already hear that Lobo Pride!
*SEE YOU SOON, LOBOS!*
Oh, by the way, the sandpaper I mentioned in the prior post was to sand down my "golden boy" before we applied the gold makeup. He was a real trooper! Thanks, Tristan! You can see fotos of him at:
www.nelycab.blogspot.com
*GO MIDDIES!*
Then something equally as exciting happened:
I was contacted by an English teacher at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas, to be a guest in her five English classes. Immediately and without hesitation, I agreed. I was so excited to receive the invitation and flattered that a high school teacher would even consider "Creatura" in the classroom.
I offered the first chapter of the novel to the teacher by email and posted it on my website for easier accessibility to the students ... and to the rest of the world, of course. Some of them have already purchased the book through Amazon.com (it's also available through other online retailers)
*If you're a goodreads member you'll find Chapter 1 under the "read excerpt" tab of the novel.
A fair amount of students from Lopez High School have befriended me on Facebook, and after chatting with them, I've found they are just as excited as I am to be able to meet in person. It seems the first chapter has had a good reception by the majority. Let's see how the rest of the book is liked. I supposed I'll find out next week when they've had a chance to read further. Until then, I'll be looking forward to August 31st with eager and excited anticipation. I can already hear that Lobo Pride!
*SEE YOU SOON, LOBOS!*
Oh, by the way, the sandpaper I mentioned in the prior post was to sand down my "golden boy" before we applied the gold makeup. He was a real trooper! Thanks, Tristan! You can see fotos of him at:
www.nelycab.blogspot.com
The High School Visit was Awesome!
I could sit here and write it out, but rather than do that why don't I just tell you how my day went in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35cjnl...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35cjnl...
Creatura by Invitation Only
After exactly three months to the date of its realease, Creatura is slowly becoming known by local schools. I have been asked for my contact information by three different schools via their students. Some of my family members' children and friends' children spoke their teachers about the novel and about me without being told by their parents to do so. I was surprised that they are taking the initiative to make the novel known, and that they are just as excited as I am about this new venture. By word of mouth, resulted an invitation by yet another school to speak at an assembly comprised of nearly 200 students. On September 28th, I will be addressing kids between the ages of 12-14 (grades 6th-8th) at Harmony Science Academy in Brownsville, Texas. I am curious about how these junior high kids' questions will differ from the questions of the high school kids I visited a few weeks ago who, by the way, were a great bunch.
Before I go speak to a group, I like to send them a few chapters of Creatura so that they know a little about the story and my writing style. Opening up their inquisitiveness with reading is great because they are more inclined to listen when you speak and are more involved in the question and answer session.
The kids at the high school were interested in hearing about me, the process of writing, the self-publishing process, and the time it takes to wrap it all up. They were so excited to have me there that their high school news made a small clip of the students' reactions to the book and to my visit. I feel so honored to be part of their required reading!
* Side note: I love those kids!
And so, as I visit each school, not only do the kids learn about writing a book and publishing, but I too learn how try to inspire them to read for pleasure, rather to see it as a chore.
TO COME:
Hopefully, I'll have the video the high school students filmed in my possession soon so that I can share it with all of you.
**************Thank you for reading!***************
Video: Teens Talk about "Creatura"
Here is the video of my visit to Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas. Credit for the video goes to Gabriela Moreno, a student of Lopez H.S.
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKzeGk...
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKzeGk...
Creatura Necklace Giveaway
Would you like to win a "Creatura" Heart Pendant Necklace? Like the "Creatura" Fan Page on Facebook
& click on the "Contest" tab to enter!
*Contest ends October 28, 2011, 12:00AM (CST)
Creatura Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Creatur...
Blogger: http://nelycab.blogspot.com/2011/10/c...
& click on the "Contest" tab to enter!
*Contest ends October 28, 2011, 12:00AM (CST)
Creatura Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Creatur...
Blogger: http://nelycab.blogspot.com/2011/10/c...
